1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a built-in antenna module in a portable wireless terminal, and more particularly, to a built-in antenna module in a portable wireless terminal in which a speaker and/or a vibrator and a built-in antenna are arranged in the form of a module such that the terminal has a slim, lightweight, and simple feature.
2. Background of the Prior Art
In recent years, mobile wireless terminals, such as Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Personal Communication Service (PCS) terminal, Digital Cellular System (DCS) terminal, Global Positioning System (GPS) terminal, cellular phones and wireless notebook computers, introduced various functions and designs. At the same time, small-sized, slim, and lightweight terminals are also needed to satisfy user's demand. Therefore, the designs of the terminals are focused on volume reduction while maintaining or improving the functions as well. Specifically, a rod antenna (or whip antenna) and a helical antenna, which are protruded outward from the terminal, are easy to break when dropped and are not portably convenient. Therefore, an installed antenna within the terminal is widely used in recent days (it is called a built-in antenna, internal antenna, or intenna).
Generally, a built-in antenna is electrically connected with an RF mainboard of a terminal main body and among the built-in antennas a Planar Inverted F Antenna (PIFA) is widely used owing to its reduced space requirement and good performance-to-cost ratio. The PIFA type antenna has two contact points, one electrically connected to an RF connector of a terminal mainboard and the other electrically connected to a conductive layer of the mainboard for grounding. Further, a radiator of the PIFA type antenna should be spaced a predetermined distance apart from a ground surface in order to improve the radiation characteristic and reduce the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR). Therefore, the radiator of the PIFA type antenna is mounted on an antenna carrier having a predetermined height and then the antenna carrier is installed on the ground (i.e. the terminal mainboard), such that the PIFA type antenna can be positioned off the mainboard. The antenna carrier is made of a non-conductive synthetic resin and has a rectangular block shape. The antenna carrier has been used to define the distance between the radiator and the mainboard.
The built-in antenna module is typically mounted on an upper portion of the terminal mainboard. This mounting position is above a keypad assembly, and in case of a folder type terminal the user grasps the terminal at that mounting position, thereby causing a weak electric field around the antenna. For this reason, some built-in antennas may be installed in a folder of the terminal. However, the built-in antenna is inevitably installed in the same area in which basic elements such as a speaker and a vibrator are also installed, thereby causing a spatial restriction to the terminal.